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Lord McAlpinePrint Page 
The life size bronze statue commemorates Lord McAlpine for his contribution to the tourist industry in Bromme
Lord McAlpine (Robert Alistair McAlpine), a British investor, author and raconteur, is credited with transforming Broome from pearling centre and remote coastal town into a modern tourism marvel. He arrived in town in the late 1970s and bought the then doomed Sun Pictures. He returned time and again, and in the early 80s purchased the site on which he would build Cable Beach Club Resort and Spa. The deal was famously sealed in a pub - he signed a contract on the back of a beer coaster. When Lord McAlpine bought the block, it was the spot for a resort in Broome.
The State Government joined Lord McAlpine in a $34 million joint venture and the resort opened in 1988 - the biggest and most expensive development the town had seen. In March 2012, Lord McAlpine said he was concerned at the prospect of eco-hotels opening up through the Kimberley and people arriving to them on buses and in “gas guzzling” 4-wheel drives.
He was honoured as Freeman of the Municipality of Broome in 2012. In 2013, Broome businesspeople paid to have the entrepreneur's likeness immortalised in a bronze statue. They said the $36,000 sculpture was a fitting gesture to the man who put Broome on the map. Lord McAlpine died in 2014.
Location
| Address: | Cable Beach Road West, Cable Beach, Broome, 6725 |
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| State: | WA |
| Area: | Foreign |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -17.929403 Long: 122.210206 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Foreigners |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 2013 |
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The Lord McAlpine
Born 14 May 1942
Freeman of Broome
Robert Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green arrived in the late 1970s to find a frontier town struggling to revive its pearling industry.
All he saw was potential ...
Over a decade he helped transform Broome into an internationally renowned tourism town.
Lord McAlpine founded the Cable Beach Club and Pearl Coast Zoological Gardens for endangered species.
He also founded the Broome Preservation Society, restoring many crumbling buildings and pearlers homes including the famous Sun Picture Gardens.
Alistair McAlpine promoted local culture, indigenous art, and Broome's South Sea pearls. He funded community work and helped many locals.
He was made Freeman of Broome in 2012.
